Chapter 12

The next day, Viv was still reeling from her discovery the previous night. She couldn't believe that her dad and Ritchie's mom used to date in college and before the wedding to her mom. The letter she found last night was dated about two months before they got married. She hadn't even considered that her dad was with both of them at the same time. Ew, she thought. I wonder if Mom ever knew. She'd been so caught up in her dad's love story, she'd barely considered how she felt about his less-than-committed relationship with her mom. Although, it wasn't as if her mother was without fault in everything.

Viv hadn't ever been particularly close to Odette, but she was still her mom. She had always been more concerned about what everyone else thought rather than how Viv felt or thought. Her mom tended to focus on societal expectations instead of the human side of the equation. Viv disliked how obsessed her mom had become with putting on the perfect show for people who barely cared about them. She'd longed for more of the sense of normalcy that her dad provided. It was almost an unspoken battle between them with her in the middle. Once the divorce proceedings started, her mom seemed to give up on that idea. Odette was almost happy with the new freedom that was within her grasp, but she never got the opportunity to experience it fully. She died in a car accident about a month before the divorce would have been final.

There had to be some happiness between them at some point, Viv thought. She knew they'd never been great, but she found it hard to believe that her dad would have married her to simply fulfill the wife role. From the letters he wasn't 100% happy with the idea, but he didn't outrightly object to it. The hidden letter indicated he was still very much in love with Rory, but respected her decision to end things. It sounded like he pulled out all of the stops to try to win her over and make her change her mind. She wasn't sure why he didn't say something if he felt so strongly. It didn't seem like his style to keep mum on any subject.

The smells of breakfast wafted up to Vivienne's room. She went downstairs to find her dad already in the kitchen. He wasn't usually up this early. After her discovery the previous night, she felt a little awkward and didn't know what to say. He didn't know, but, in her head, things were weird.

"Morning, Viv," Logan said.

"Morning, Dad. You're up early," she observed.

"I had a couple of early morning errands to run," he explained.

Early morning what? she wondered. What could he possibly have to do at this hour?

"You're up kinda early, yourself," he noted. "Are you a little excited about car shopping?"

"Maybe," she said with almost a squeal.

"I'd love to stay and chat some more with you, but I've got to get to work," he said.

"But, it's still early," she replied.

"If I want to leave early to go car shopping with you, I need to get in earlier," he clarified as she stood up. He cleared his dishes from the table.

"Alright. Have a good day!"

"You, too, Viv," he said and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "I'll let you know what the plans are for this afternoon."

He grabbed his suit coat from the chair and went out the door to the car that awaited him. Why can't my life just be normal, he lamented silently. I thought moving back to Hartford would help bring back a sense of normalcy. Here, I wouldn't have to pretend with Odette, Viv could go to school, and I could just work while raising my daughter. Instead, I got the biggest shock of my life, and all of my feelings for Rory came rushing back. I'd worked hard to move on from her, but maybe I hadn't.

On his way to work, he thought about the night before with Rory. It definitely wasn't ideal, but it was better than he thought it would be. He was still in disbelief he had a son. He could feel the anger at Rory brewing slowly when he thought about her keeping that information from him. He tried, in vain, to understand her decision. Things had been complicated with his family, Odette, and their impending wedding. What would I have done? he asked himself. Our goodbye felt so final, and she'd turned down my offer for the family's house in Maine. Things would have been extremely complicated with Odette and my family. My heart says I'd have gone to her. She's the one I've always wanted, the one who made me a better person inside and out. My head says it wouldn't have been that simple. The only thing I was sure of was my Huntzberger destiny: to take over HPG, like my father and grandfather had done before me. I was to marry and produce heirs, emphasis on multiple rather than single. I hadn't fulfilled that plan with Odette, rather it was with both her and Rory. I'm sure my grandfather is rolling in his grave at this revelation.

By the time Logan arrived at work, he'd calmed from his initial anger when he'd gotten into the car. Fortunately, he had a very busy day to distract him from the complicated situation at hand. He immediately dug into his work, just as he'd done so many years ago when things went south with Odette. He'd been so engrossed, he nearly forgot to call his car guy for Viv. Thankfully, he'd set a reminder for this important task.

Meanwhile, Viv stayed in the kitchen to finish her breakfast. She loved when her dad cooked. It wasn't fancy, but it was always delicious. She recalled when he'd make her chocolate chip pancakes. It was one of her favorites. Sometimes, he'd try to make them look like Mickey Mouse, but they usually ended up a big, misshapen blob. To cover, he would put on extra chocolate chips and loads of whipped cream. He didn't generally cook when her mom was around. Odette couldn't understand why he did something they were paying others to do for them.

After finishing her breakfast, Viv began thinking about her dad's unfinished love story. She saw the pictures in her head. She recalled her parents' wedding photos. Everyone looked like movie stars, and much like Hollywood, it was all an act. There was no magic, no spark. They didn't look miserable, but it wasn't the natural happiness she saw in the pictures last night. Then, she pulled up the picture she took of the letter. How could my dad have let her go? she wondered sadly. She reread his account of their night in New Hampshire. Why did Rory say goodbye? My family's in the journalism business. She could have had her pick of any newspaper just about anywhere. Sounds like the perfect opportunity to me, she thought.

Viv started re-examining every detail of the letter, which led her to going over the timeline. It was nineteen years ago. She began to wonder where if, somehow, Ritchie fit into all of this. Rory was his mother, so let's do the math. He'd just turned eighteen, so back up nine months and...whoa! Shut the front door! Could he? No, that's just not possible, is it? There had always been an air of familiarity with him. She tried to shake the idea that Ritchie was her half-brother, but everything started pointing in that direction. She quickly pulled up a collage app on her phone. Viv put in a picture of her dad and one of Ritchie. There was an eerie similarity between the two she'd never noticed before, but it would explain why she always felt so comfortable with him and was never attracted to him in a romantic way. She continued her analysis. Ritchie got uncomfortable around Dad yesterday, and Dad got all weird when I told him who he was. Ritchie also refused to name his high profile father, and he knows I can keep a secret better than anyone. Did my dad know all of these years? Surely, I would have found something to indicate his knowledge, and I've searched just about any place I can think of in this house.

She decided to go back to her dad's study to see if she could find out if he knew this whole time, or if the information was newly discovered. Knowing her dad, she suspected that if he did know about Ritchie that he would have been a part of their lives. She need some definitive proof, even if that meant lack of evidence.

Viv spent the new few hours scouring every last nook and cranny of Logan's study. She had no idea what she'd find after last night's discovery of a false bottom in a drawer. She pulled books, knocked on walls, shelves, and floorboards, and even went so far as feeling around the desk for buttons and levers that might lead to a secret opening. Viv had hoped to find a secret room, or a hidden safe that contained top secret documents. She knew it was wrong to dig through the study, but she wanted to cover her bases with the search. Finding nothing left her feeling a little defeated, but the lack of evidence led her to believe that her dad didn't know until recently.

Maybe if I drop some heavy hints, one of them will cave and tell me, she thought.

The clock in Logan's study chimed to indicate the time. Viv began tidying up from her searches. She didn't want to get in trouble for digging through her dad's stuff, especially since he let her off the hook for taking the Porsche last night. She tried to put everything back where she'd found it. Just as she finished, she got a text from him.

Logan: I'll be home in fifteen minutes to pick you up.

Vivienne: Ok, dad!

She felt her stomach do a flip. She was excited to get some freedom in the form for a car. London was much larger, and had excellent public transportation. Hartford had buses and taxis, and relying on her dad's car service seemed a tad excessive. She quickly readied herself and waited for him. She was also a little nervous to see him since her revelation. She didn't know if it was true or not, but the pieces seemed to fit. Her gut confirmed the suspicion.

When Logan arrived, Viv exited through the garage. She bounded to the car with all of the excitement of a little kid coming downstairs on Christmas morning. Momentarily, she forgot about her big discovery. He chuckled at her enthusiasm.

"Hi, Daddy!" Viv said as she got in.

"Hello, Viv. A little excited?"

"How could you tell?" she asked with a smile a mile wide.

"You were practically bouncing out to the car, and huge smile may have given it away," he answered.

"I can't help it," she said laughing.

"Just so you know, we're not getting you a sports car. This is going to be a practical mode of transportation," he warned light-heartedly.

"Understood."

After a moment, Viv decided to dive into some questions. She hoped it would lead to confirmation of her conclusion. She knew she had to keep it subtle, or her dad would suspect something.

"Dad, can I talk to you about something?" she asked.

"Go ahead, shoot," Logan replied.

"I've been thinking about a lot of different stuff late, and in particular, Mom..." she began.

"What about her?" he asked tentatively. He wasn't prepared for this line of questioning. The subject of Odette was a little sore and tricky for him.

"I guess now that things have settled, I was wondering...was there a time you and mom were ever really happy?"

The question caught Logan off guard. Viv had never asked all that much about her mother, and now, out of left field, she started asking about their love life.

"What brought this up?" he asked.

"I dunno. Watching some old movies and reading a lot of romance novels just got me to thinking," she replied. She lied - sort of. It was a real life romance - that she saw come to life before her very eyes.

"I think there was a time when we were happy - in the beginning," he answered.

He didn't think they were every in love, or overly happy, but things were decent. Once he found out that Odette was pregnant, he felt a slight sense of elation. He welcomed fatherhood with open arms. It actually brought him closer to Odette. The memories of Rory began to fade. Once Vivienne was born, things were even better for about two months. There was a sense of normalcy until there wasn't. Odette shut him out - shut everyone out. She continued to care for their newborn, but it didn't seem like she enjoyed it. Odette wouldn't talk to him or anyone. It certainly made life difficult for him, but he was stuck for better or for worse.

"Yeah?"

"Yes, Viv. Why the sudden curiosity?"

"I told you. I've been thinking a lot about things since we moved. I know things weren't easy with mom for a long time, but the romances just made me wonder, that's all," she repeated and paused for a moment.

Logan hoped she was done asking questions, but the look on her face said otherwise. He braced for more uncomfortable questions that he didn't really want to answer, but felt obligated.

"Did you ever consider a sibling for me?"

How ironic, he thought.

"After you were born, things changed. Initially, we wanted to, but your mother wasn't in the right place to have another child. You never know how things will change after a baby," he diplomatically answered.

"Oh. What about a surrogate or adoption?" she pressed.

"It wasn't about physical readiness. Postpartum depression had taken its hold. I didn't bring up the issue to avoid adding any additional stress. So, I left well enough alone, despite pressure from all of your grandparents. Besides, adoption is frowned upon in the Huntzberger family."

"But it's not like you always follow the rules," she reminded him.

"Things aren't as easy as they are in the movies you've been watching with your br - Richard," he quickly corrected himself. He couldn't believe he'd nearly slipped in calling Richard her brother, especially since he hadn't fully grasped the concept himself.

Did he nearly call Ritchie my brother? He KNOWS! she excitedly thought.

They sat in an awkward silence for a couple of minutes. Logan continued to silently kick himself for the near admission.

Why didn't I just tell her? he asked himself.

"Can I confess something, Dad?"

"What's that?"

Suddenly panic swept across him. What in the world could she want to tell me? Does she already know?

"When I was growing up, I always wanted a sibling. I felt jealous when my friends would talk about their brothers and sisters. I wanted a companion to share secrets and adventures with," she explained.

Logan's heart sank. He loved the relationship he shared with Honor. It's part of what helped him survive growing up I the palatial Huntzberger estate. In the beginning, he had hoped to have two children with Odette. Now, he knew that not having a second child with her was better in the long run. He was a little more hopeful when he thought of Richard. The last two years she did have a friend, who, unbeknownst to her, was her half-brother. This was somewhat of a consolation that made him think that telling her might not be so bad. She wouldn't resent the fact she did have a sibling, and she was rational enough to understand that he didn't know either.

"I'm sorry it didn't work out that way," he apologized genuinely. He tried to muster the courage to tell her, but the words wouldn't form.

"It's ok. I know things were hard with mom. Everything happens for a reason," she said with a sly smile.

Logan started to think she did know. Why else would she be asking these questions and saying things happen for a reason? Did Richard tell her? It didn't sound like that was the case, but maybe he wasn't truthful with Rory. They sat in silence for the remainder of the ride. Within minutes, Logan's relief came in the form of a car shopping distraction. They arrived at the dealership and began their quest.